Health and fitness goals update

Halloween is over, cosy jumpers have been dug out from the back of my wardrobe and it is now socially acceptable to insta a festive themed coffee. This means that Christmas is on its way and there is less than 2 months until the end of 2018! But it doesn’t mean it’s too late to set new health and fitness goals. Instead this is the perfect time to use the final months of 2018 as motivation to work towards achieving a fitter and healthier lifestyle ready for the start of 2019.

These are some of the goals I’ll be working on during the next 2 months.

Movember

This month I have committed to running 60k to raise awareness and money for men’s health as part of Movember. Running is a great way of enabling women to take part in this event as many of us have male family members and friends who have suffered with mental and physical health problems and it allows us to contribute towards this important issue. The 60k was chosen as it represents the 60 men we lose each hour through suicide, an incredibly high number which highlights the fact that men’s mental health is an area that needs a lot more awareness and support. .

Start marathon training

The London Marathon might be 6 months away but I’m already looking to start training. Over the next few months I want to work on improving my running form and getting fitter. I know that I have weak glutes, which results in a muscle imbalance in my legs that has a negative impact on my form. I’ve already seen a professional about this and will be doing specific exercises to help try and correct this imbalance. As well as this, I’m working on creating a training plan for the marathon that will specifically including strength training, stretching, speed work as well as long runs.

Do more home cooking

I’m fortunate in that I really enjoy cooking. I find it relaxing and I love getting creative with recipes by trying new things. As the weather gets colder I start craving more comfort foods so I’m planning on making healthy autumn and winter comfort foods such as soups, autumn salads, stews, curries and one of my all time favourite winter foods – bean chili. Along with this I also want to start making the effort to get to my local farm shop to pick up more seasonal and locally grown fruit and veg. At the moment I feel I rely too much on supermarket shopping as its easy and convenient, but I want to support local independent businesses and get better quality food.

Taking care of my mind and body

A lesson I’ve learnt this year is that rest and relaxation is a vital part of living a healthy lifestyle, but something I’m not that great at. I often feel guilty if I spend a couple of hours at the end of a busy week watching a film, thinking that instead I could be doing something much more productive. But I’m gradually getting better at it and have started incorporating stretching and meditation into my day. I want to carry on improving how I take care of my mind and body by doing more meditation, yoga and Pilates, reading, spending time with family and friends, as well as learning to spend less time working and stressing about the things I cannot control.

Learn more about fitness and health

The dark nights are the perfect excuse to spend more time indoors reading and I plan to use this time to learn more about fitness and health. Although over the years I’ve picked up lots of information and advice by reading books, magazines and blogs, as well as listening to lots of really good podcasts (I’m planning to share my favourite ones in another post); the fitness industry is always evolving and there is always room for more knowledge. Specifically I want to learn more about running, strength training, nutrition and mental strength.